Spark-timing device.



No. 795,497. 7 I PATENTED JULY 25, 1905 G. A. ELS ASSBR, JR. & P M.ELSASSERL SPARK TIMING-DEVICE; APPLICATION IILBD I'EB. 17.1904-ATTORNEYS AND PAUL M. ELSASS PENNSYLVAXIA.

PATEXT OFFICE.

SPARK-TIMING DEVICE.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented July 25, 1905.

Application filed February 17, 1904- Serial No. 193,942.

To all whom it mayconcern:

Be it known that we, GEORGE ALFRED EL- SASSER, J r., and PAUL MARELsAssER, citizens of the United States, and residents of Philadelphia,in the county of. Philadelphia and State of Pennsylvania, have inventeda new and Improved Spark-Timing Device, of which the following is afull, clear, and exact description.

()ur invention'relates to a device for timing the electric ignitingspark in gas-engines and the like.' I

The objects of our invention are to secure in devicesof this charactersimplicity of operation and construction, accuracy in timing, accurateand simple adjustment, small cost of production, compactness, wide rangeof speeds, and ready adaptability-for all kinds of gas, gasolene, andallother explosion engines employing the electric j um p-spark for theignition of gas.

Reference is to be had to the accompanying drawings, forming a part ofthis specification, in which similar characters of reference indicatecorresponding parts in all the figures.

Figure 1 is a sectional view of certain parts of a gas-engine with oneform of our invention attached and shown in elevation. Fig. 2 is anenlarged view of certain parts shown in Fig. 1, portions thereof beingin section. Fig. 3 is a sectional view on the line 3 301 Fig. 2, andFig. 4 is a view similar to Fig. 2 of another form of our invention.

Our invention comprises a pair of bars a I), made of spring-brass orother metal and entirely insulated from each other at their supportingends by the fiber or other insulating washers c and the bushing 0 formedof similar material. They are fastened togetherby means of a bolt Zpassing through the bushing 0 One of the bars, preferably the upper one,a, is made longer than the other fora purpose to be described. The lowerbar 6 is designed to be adjusted up and down. In Figs. 1, 2, 3 a cam (Zis shown for this purpose attached to an arm 6, which is shown assecured in position relative to the bar 6 by'means of the bolt Z. Thecam is designed in this instance to be operated by a connecting-link fand hand-lever g, which is designed to move over a ratchet h, adapted tohold it in any-desired position. The ratchet is carefully insulated fromthe ground by plates or supports it. A shaft 7? is designed to rotatecontinuously while the engine is moving and carries a cam j. As shown inFigs. 1 and 2, this cam is adapted to press upon the bar a and bring itdown into contact with the bar 6, thereby forming an electricalconnection through the battery 8 and the primary t of the inductio' passthrough the secondary t, wires q 1, and spark-plug p, f

m represents a gas-engine cylinder of any construction, and n a pistonworking therein.

0 is a bracket attached to the cylinder or other desired part of thegas-engine, and to tbhils the bars a I) are secured by means of the Inthe construction shown in Fig. 4 the parts a, Z), c, and Z are the sameas those described above. In place of the arm 0, however, an arm 0' ofmodified construction is used, having a screw-threaded end in whichturns a thumb-screw Upon the arm e is a' piece of spring-brass or othermaterial 3 having a sharpened end fitting in the thread of the screwandada sired position.

The operation of this device is very simple. The bar 6 may be adjustedby means of the cam d or the screw win any desired position withrespeotto the bar a. The bar 6 is formed of spring metal and: so fixedas to bear down" wardly upon the cam d or screw :0 in the lowestposition thereof. Therefore when these adjusting devices are operated toraise the-bar b it will be forced upwardly toward the bar a, and thedistance between them beinglessened the time of the spark will becorrespondingly regulated. The ti two bars a and b are normallyaboutaquarter of an inch apart. When the cam j bends the bar a intocontact with the bar 6, it immediately closes the prim wires 9', whichwillca battery of the i cite the secondary coil 25', which will cause aspark to be produced in the cylinder by means ary circuit through thes/to flow through the primary coil t of the spark-plug. It is thus seenthat as soon as the bar a comes into contact with the bar 6 a spark isproduced in the cylinder. Now if the bar 6 is moved up nearer the bar athe latter when bent down by the cam j will come into contact with theformer at an earlier time and the s the explosion of the engine.

It is obvious that other adjusting devices earlier and increasing thespeed ER, or PHILADELPHIA.

.-coil through wires '2- 1', which causes a current to pted to hold itin any de-' me is varied as follows: The

use the current from. the

nduction-coil, and this in turn will expark will occur sooner, making"ticular forms shown.

may be employed than those shown, and we do not wish to limit ourinvention to thepar- The device shown in Figs: '1, 2, and 3 is designedespecially for all engines other than stationary ones; but in stationaryenginesthesimpler device (shown in Fig. ll may be used.

The shaft is does not have to, bean addi-' tional feature of themachine, but-may be a shaft used to operate a valve or other partof-springmaterial and insulated from the first.

-bar,.an ind notion-coil, electric connections between theinduction-coil and said bars, electric connections between theinduction-coil and the spark-plug, a cam for forcing one. bar toward theother and adjusting the distance between them, and means for bringingthe two bars nto contact.

2; In a timing device, the combination of a spark-plug, apair of barsformed ofspring material, one of said bars being longer than,-the

other, means for supporting said bars near one end, means for lnsulating said bars from each other and from their support, electricalconnections from said spark-plug to each of said bars, means foradjusting the free end of the short bar to and from the other, means forholdingfsaid adjusting'means in adjusted positlons, and-additional meansfor temporarily ,forcing the longer bar into contact with the shorterbar.

3, The combination of a spark-plug, electric connections thereto, a pairof spring-bars insuvlated from each other, each one joined to saidelectrical connections, a cam for adjusting one of saldbars'toward-andfrom the other, means for forcing said bars intocontact with eachotherqandmeans for holding said adjusting cam'in'adesired position. v

. In testimony whereof we have signed our names to this specification inthe presence of two subscribing witnesses.

GEORGE A. ELSASSER, J R. PAUL M. ELSASSER.

\Vitnes ses: Rrom). H. REILLY, GEORGE A. ELSASSER.

